Idol Digest – Nogizakatte, Doko? #12 (12.18.2011)

Another week, another episode of “Nogizakatte, Doko?”. This week sees the girls undertake a variety of cooking related challenges. If you enjoy seeing idols screw up in the kitchen then this week’s episode is definitely for you.

Which of the girls would you want to cook for you and which of them would you not trust with your life? Find out by reading on after the break.

The first dish on the menu is “Kakiage” which is a type of tempura made with a mixture of vegetable strips, such as onion, carrot and burdock. Shrimp is also sometimes included in this dish. A fairly straightforward dish to start things off, it shouldn’t be too difficult not to mess this one up.

First up is my personal favourite, Shiraishi Mai. In keeping with the show’s tradition of getting the least interesting footage out of the way first it should come as no surprise that Mai didn’t have much trouble with this task. There wasn’t really much to talk about during her segment so let’s move on.

Eto Misa goes next. She seems really confident that things are going to go well. That of course doesn’t happen and we end up with deep fried vegetables instead of vegetable tempura. Her reaction during the taste test tells us just how well things didn’t go for her. She seemed pretty confident in the kitchen though so maybe it’s just deep frying that she’s not the best at. Better luck next time Misa.

We change up dishes for the next batch of girls. This time we’re going to be making “Harumaki”, more commonly known in western cultures as the “Spring Roll”. They come with a variety of fillings in fried and non-friend varieties. I’m no expert on cooking but it seems like this dish has a lot more potential for things to go wrong. Let’s find out if my assumptions are correct.

Ikoma Rina is the first member to take on this challenge. After a long debate over what ingredients she should use she eventually settles on making “Gyōza” instead. It turned out extra crispy due to being deep fried but apparently still tasted good. Still, she didn’t make a harumaki so challenge failed.

Iwase Yumiko looks to succeed where Rina failed. Now I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure a harumaki isn’t supposed to be that thick. I’m also pretty sure that they’re supposed to be fried for longer than ten seconds, especially at that size. Needless to say, the hamburger meat she uses in her recipe comes out…….a little on the rare side shall we say. Thankfully they didn’t make her taste test it as a punishment although it probably would have made for entertaining television.

Just when you think things can’t get any worse, along comes Matsumura Sayuri. We’re off to a fairly good start until she overfills the pastry and it rips. Instead of just starting over she decides to scoop everything up and dump it into the hot oil. What results is something truly horrific that she then tastes for some reason. She doesn’t seem that repulsed by it but her reaction certainly isn’t one of enjoyment either.

Our next dish is “Rōru kyabetsu” or cabbage roll/stuffed cabbage. It’s basically just cabbage leaves wrapped around various fillings and steamed in a pot. Not the most complex of dishes but one that provides enough ways to screw things up along the way.

Let’s see how Hashimoto Nanami does with this task. Her effort is pretty much spot on although the presentation leaves a little to be desired but it’s not that big of a deal. The most important thing is that it tastes good.

Last up we have Hatanaka Seira. Things don’t start off well when she chooses not to use cabbage for the dish. To her credit she puts a lot of effort into the soup that the…..lettuce rolls will be steaming in. She deems her dish to be delicious and asks Matsumura Sayuri to try it too and she also finds it to her liking. Still, it’s a fail because she used the wrong ingredient.

The second half of the show is more cooking challenges but this time the hosts get to judge just how good or bad they are. First up is Ikuta Erika and her challenge is to make “Dashimaki Tamago” which is a type of Japanese omelet that you make by rolling together multiple layers of cooked egg. It is typically prepared in a rectangular omelet pan called a makiyakinabe and served cut into cubes.

Things don’t go well when Ikuta forgoes the use of an omelet pan and decides to just pour the beaten egg directly onto the hotplate. Eventually she realises the error of her ways and opts to just scrape everything from the hotplate into the omelet pan instead of just starting over. Throw in another egg for good measure and we’re ready to serve. Needless to say the judging panel did not enjoy this dish.

Finally we have newly dubbed “Cooking Monster” Matsumura Sayuri. Her challenge is to make “Gomoku Chahan” which is a five ingredient fried rice dish and oh boy is it a disaster. Yes, that is indeed pepper that she’s mixing into those eggs. This dish looks absolutely disgusting while she’s cooking it and the finished product doesn’t look that much better. I felt truly sorry for the hosts when it was their turn to try her dish. Moral of the story is don’t let Sayuri cook for you, that or be the best straight faced liar in the world.

That’s the end of this week’s episode. In the news segment we’re told that Nogizaka46 will be making their CD debut next year on February 22nd so look forward to that. Also, next week’s episode is apparently a Christmas party so be sure to tune in if party games and various other types of shenanigans are your thing.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you’re all following this show now that I’ve plugged it for multiple weeks. Leave your impressions in the comments, even if it’s just to tell me how much my Japanese sucks.

About NSK

New School Kaidan is a community-focused website for the Japanese idol industry international fan base. Between podcasts, broadcasts, events, and analytic articles, New School Kaidan aims to bring an understanding of idol culture to the masses.